Scent of a Woman

Written by: Bo Goldman Starring: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell

Very entertaining, despite the occasionally clumsy direction, the relentless predictability, and, most of all, a crowd-pleasing sellout of an ending, in which all the loose ends are wrapped up in a manner not worthy of the rest of the picture. Let's be honest: what gives this picture its kick is Pacino, who is tremendous as the embittered Col. Slade. It is a tour de force, equal to anything he's done, with wonderful sense of modulation. Alas, the same cannot be said for O'Donnell, who is handed a wordfully underwritten role, most painfully obvious in the awkward hotel room confrontation between Charlie and Slade. O'Donnell's character is never given a chance to grow, to assert some authority. As a result, O'Donnell is simply overwhelmed by Pacino. But you can't blame him; given Pacino's performance, it is only natural to want to stand back and watch. (1/12/93)